[KillerMax]

Kalac given Milan gloves

Milan have three top goalkeepers in their squad, but Adriano Galliani has clarified that Zeljko Kalac is first choice.

With Christian Abbiati's return from Atletico Madrid and Nelson Dida back to full fitness, there is a crush of shot-stoppers pushing for space.

“We have established a hierarchy of goalkeepers and Carlo Ancelotti drew it up,” revealed general manager Galliani.

“I think that at this stage we can say we're starting with Kalac, then Abbiati while we wait to evaluate Dida's condition, as he is undergoing a recovery programme.”

There were concerns over whether Alessandro Nesta would require surgery for a recurring injury, but that does not seem to be the case.

“Nesta has nothing serious. He does have this back problem and we have sent him to the top specialists, but they all said he does not need an operation. He should recover quickly.”

There are injury worries for Marco Borriello, who sprained his right knee during today's training session. More tests will be performed tomorrow to investigate the extent of the damage.

Football Italia

[acid911]

(IMG:style_emoticons/default/sleep.gif) Can't blame him, though.

[agenth]

that's good news.
let's trust him to be as effective as last season!

[I_Rossoneri]

As long as that traitor coward doesn't get the gloves I will be happy (IMG:style_emoticons/default/cool.gif)

[han2503]

Well that just makes me feel so secure about our chances of not conceeding... (IMG:style_emoticons/default/rolleyes.gif)

I think it would be smarter to give them to Dida. Kalac might have had some good games last season but he's just as big a liability as our other 2 options, Dida provides more experiance and if by some miracle chance he finds some semblance of form we would have a better chance at not destroying our chances at the leugue from the first 2 months

[MizNelson]

Wonderful, we're starting a new season with this clod in goal. Then again, Christian "Chi no salta rossonero" Abbiati doesn't deserve to come within a country mile of the starting spot. Jesus, talk about picking the lesser of two evils.

The only thing that bugs me is that I remember a player mentioning that Dida is training hard, and is getting back into form. And now Galliani comes back to say that Dida is on a recovery program.

Dida also said himself on 7/12 that he was feeling better. [link] Maybe he's being particularly mollycoddled so his back doesn't go south again, or Galliani is stretching the truth to the press.

[acid911]

Well that just makes me feel so secure about our chances of not conceeding...

I think it would be smarter to give them to Dida. Kalac might have had some good games last season but he's just as big a liability as our other 2 options, Dida provides more experiance and if by some miracle chance he finds some semblance of form we would have a better chance at not destroying our chances at the leugue from the first 2 months

Alas. People don't understand. (IMG:style_emoticons/default/sad.gif)

Dida is the most experience of the three, and we can do with some experience if we want to mount a challenge for the top. Then again, I'd let Kalac start just and see how he handles his job between the posts. (IMG:style_emoticons/default/huh.gif) Let Dida and the other dude work their way to the No. 1 shirt. Earn it back, if you will. It will be suicidal for Dida to start, and then get a dip in form, and let Kalac back. I'd prefer it the other way. And if by any chance both fail, then give that Ab dude the nod.

[acid911]

Dida also said himself on 7/12 that he was feeling better. [link] Maybe he's being particularly mollycoddled so his back doesn't go south again, or Galliani is stretching the truth to the press.

I wouldn't doubt it. (IMG:style_emoticons/default/dry.gif) It's murky out there. I'd much rather prefer we sell the big mouth Abbiati, and get ourselves a talented, young keeper (ala Lloris) for the future. Let Kalac and Dida battle it out while the young one gains ground. We have to build towards the future, and having three keepers of the same type isn't the future, particularly when neither of them is young.

Pity people at Milan think otherwise.

[MizNelson]

It will be suicidal for Dida to start, and then get a dip in form, and let Kalac back.

I'd much rather prefer we sell the big mouth Abbiati, and get ourselves a talented, young keeper for the future. Let Kalac and Dida battle it out while the young one gains ground. We have to build towards the future, and having three keepers of the same type isn't the future, particularly when neither of them is young. Pity people at Milan think otherwise.

I wholeheartedly agree. As much as I'd like to have seen Kalac go to some Serie Z team, bringing Abbiati back was just plain stupid. It's interesting that he came back only after Dida was finally displaced as the Milan number one.

[whoarethepatriot...]

I dont feel comfortable with any of these as first choice. Abbiati and Kalac would make good backups, but they arent good enough to be no1.

I still lament the loss of Amelia, i hope we buy a CB and GK next season

[Zed.D]

Don't worry, sooner or later he will have to give up on his 'gloves'. I can't see him perform like last season.

[armiss]

Kalac is good every time that all of the team is serious for the game , he dont make bad mistakes but instead we cant expect him to be too good , for now he is a good choice and i like him to show more seriousness and continue for the best but our other choices are good too , in their normal shape they are not in high but they are enough for what we want ! i hope the very best for all of them !!

This post has been edited by armisse: Jul 27 2008, 11:29 AM

[acid911]

I wholeheartedly agree. As much as I'd like to have seen Kalac go to some Serie Z team, bringing Abbiati back was just plain stupid. It's interesting that he came back only after Dida was finally displaced as the Milan number one.

More than stupid, please. Better to sell him off now, and get a better option for the future. (IMG:style_emoticons/default/dry.gif) If you keep building, and signing up a couple of new players every transfer window, then a club like Milan will never be in the hole we're in now. Struggling to finish - wait for it - 4th in a league like Serie A. Spending another 10-12 million to get two talented, strong, but unknown players.

But no, we like it the hard way, baby. (IMG:style_emoticons/default/cool.gif) If ever there was time to get a low cost, young new keeper and a CB, now was it.

[acid911]

Don't worry, sooner or later he will have to give up on his 'gloves'. I can't see him perform like last season.

Well he let in 8 goals in 3 games towards the end of last season. (IMG:style_emoticons/default/biggrin.gif) This was when his purple patch (or trance) was over. He can be solid at times, but I'd still not trust him over any keeper of or better the caliber of Dida. There is a reason few people outside Milan know of Kalac.

[misha]

All of our keeper options are not Milan worthy IMO

[acid911]

All of our keeper options are not Milan worthy IMO

Admittedly, yes. (IMG:style_emoticons/default/sleep.gif) But I'd at least get the best of the bunch above in the pecking order. Injured or not. Out of form, or otherwise. Putting Kalac above in the hierarchy is just meh.

[misha]

Admittedly, yes. (IMG:style_emoticons/default/sleep.gif) But I'd at least get the best of the bunch above in the pecking order. Injured or not. Out of form, or otherwise. Putting Kalac above in the hierarchy is just meh.

We don't know in what shape Dida is and what is the situation with his injury. He has been in decline for the past 3 years and last season was bench for someone like Kalac (shows you how bad he was).

For me it's simple - we must buy a new keeper that would number one without saying.

[Warchant]

We don't know in what shape Dida is and what is the situation with his injury. He has been in decline for the past 3 years and last season was bench for someone like Kalac (shows you how bad he was).

For me it's simple - we must buy a new keeper that would number one without saying.

the problem is, is that we have so many holes there was no way we were going to fill all of them this season.

[misha]

the problem is, is that we have so many holes there was no way we were going to fill all of them this season.

A keeper spot is too big of a hole to keep hanging. It's a key position and we gonna regret about it unless one of the 3 somehow has a wonderful season

[han2503]

We don't know in what shape Dida is and what is the situation with his injury. He has been in decline for the past 3 years and last season was bench for someone like Kalac (shows you how bad he was).

For me it's simple - we must buy a new keeper that would number one without saying.

A Keeper should have been first priority the summer before this one not even now. And Galliani tries to feed the fans BS by saying that Abbiati is our new signing in that area. A GK is imo 80% responsible for the teams success and there is no wonder why we have failed season after season with the keepers we have.

the problem is, is that we have so many holes there was no way we were going to fill all of them this season.

Very true, but also a smart person would have thought of this before and not let the squad ge to the state that it has come to now. 2 players every summer for the past 3 seasons would have been the smart thing to do and I'm 100% sure that if we had done this we wouldn't be in the position we are in now (ie UEFA Cup).

We still need a top class goal keeper, a top class center back, someone that can stand in for Pirlo, although I have faith that Flamini can handle that positition, obviously not do the same thing Pirlo does but he can fill it in better then abybody else we have, and we need another great box striker. Trying to market Boriello as the next Van Basten or whatever Galliani is trying to do won't work, and it certainly won't make Boriello any better.

As for actual spending counting the guys going out and what we made on them and the guys coming in. We only spent about €10 - €15m this summer which is not much especially for a club like Milan who are supposedly in a transission fase, Fiorentino have spent more then us for god's sakes (IMG:style_emoticons/default/rolleyes.gif)

[misha]

A Keeper should have been first priority the summer before this one not even now. And Galliani tries to feed the fans BS by saying that Abbiati is our new signing in that area. A GK is imo 80% responsible for the teams success and there is no wonder why we have failed season after season with the keepers we have.

Agreed. Instead of dealing with the problem, Milan brought Abbiati who of course won't solve a thing.

[acid911]

We still need a top class goal keeper, a top class center back, someone that can stand in for Pirlo, although I have faith that Flamini can handle that positition, obviously not do the same thing Pirlo does but he can fill it in better then abybody else we have, and we need another great box striker. Trying to market Boriello as the next Van Basten or whatever Galliani is trying to do won't work, and it certainly won't make Boriello any better.

Sorry for the bad manners, but couldn't resist: What on earth is positition? (IMG:style_emoticons/default/tongue.gif) Next time use Firefox for spell checking. Hehe.

[han2503]

Agreed. Instead of dealing with the problem, Milan brought Abbiati who of course won't solve a thing.

The only reason Abbiati was brought back in was because we couldn't sell him, he was close to joining Palermo but they didn't want to pay what we asked of them, which I totally get after the disaster 2 seasons he had while out on loan. And in the end Palermo ended up with Amelia which shows you how smart Galliani is.

Galliani only used the 'new GK signing' tactic to in some way placate the fans. And he must be delusional if he believes that the fans actually fall for his cr@p

[acid911]

Very true, but also a smart person would have thought of this before and not let the squad ge to the state that it has come to now. 2 players every summer for the past 3 seasons would have been the smart thing to do and I'm 100% sure that if we had done this we wouldn't be in the position we are in now (ie UEFA Cup).

Unfortunately, we lack that smart person at the top. (IMG:style_emoticons/default/rolleyes.gif) I can't help but agree what you said. I too am 110% that if we had signed more than one good player every transfer window, we wouldn't have been in the mess we are now.

We just went into a shell after the Sheva loss. Didn't buy much, and what we did wasn't world class. Pity. We could have finished at least 2nd, if not won the league if we had bench strength. (IMG:style_emoticons/default/sleep.gif)

[han2503]

Sorry for the bad manners, but couldn't resist: What on earth is positition? (IMG:style_emoticons/default/tongue.gif) Next time use Firefox for spell checking. Hehe.

It's the new cooler word used for position, you must get the new Webster dictionary to keep up with the pace of vocabulary my friend (IMG:style_emoticons/default/tongue.gif) (IMG:style_emoticons/default/biggrin.gif) (IMG:style_emoticons/default/tongue.gif)

[acid911]

It's the new cooler word used for position, you must get the new Webster dictionary to keep up with the pace of vocabulary my friend

Haha. I thought it rhymed with prostitution. (IMG:style_emoticons/default/laugh.gif) (IMG:style_emoticons/default/laugh.gif) (IMG:style_emoticons/default/laugh.gif) Gotta keep up with the ever-changing language.

[han2503]

Haha. I thought it rhymed with prostitution. (IMG:style_emoticons/default/laugh.gif) (IMG:style_emoticons/default/laugh.gif) (IMG:style_emoticons/default/laugh.gif) Gotta keep up with the ever-changing language.

(IMG:style_emoticons/default/biggrin.gif) (IMG:style_emoticons/default/biggrin.gif) (IMG:style_emoticons/default/biggrin.gif)

[Il Capitano]

We can hope that the defense is good enough this year so that they don't have to make that many mistakes.

[dst]

This is the right choice. Kalac is now our most reliable keeper. Which is... disappointing. (IMG:style_emoticons/default/sleep.gif)

[I_Rossoneri]

A Keeper should have been first priority the summer before this one not even now. And Galliani tries to feed the fans BS by saying that Abbiati is our new signing in that area. A GK is imo 80% responsible for the teams success and there is no wonder why we have failed season after season with the keepers we have.


Very true, but also a smart person would have thought of this before and not let the squad ge to the state that it has come to now. 2 players every summer for the past 3 seasons would have been the smart thing to do and I'm 100% sure that if we had done this we wouldn't be in the position we are in now (ie UEFA Cup).

We still need a top class goal keeper, a top class center back, someone that can stand in for Pirlo, although I have faith that Flamini can handle that positition, obviously not do the same thing Pirlo does but he can fill it in better then abybody else we have, and we need another great box striker. Trying to market Boriello as the next Van Basten or whatever Galliani is trying to do won't work, and it certainly won't make Boriello any better.

As for actual spending counting the guys going out and what we made on them and the guys coming in. We only spent about €10 - €15m this summer which is not much especially for a club like Milan who are supposedly in a transission fase, Fiorentino have spent more then us for god's sakes (IMG:style_emoticons/default/rolleyes.gif)

Yet again han speaks the truth (IMG:style_emoticons/default/cool.gif)

[I_Rossoneri]

This is the right choice. Kalac is now our most reliable keeper. Which is... disappointing. (IMG:style_emoticons/default/sleep.gif)

more like disappointing (IMG:style_emoticons/default/wink.gif)

[I_Rossoneri]

Agreed. Instead of dealing with the problem, Milan brought Abbiati who of course won't solve a thing.

He'll be ok when we play Juve as he can go and sing with their ultras (IMG:style_emoticons/default/tongue.gif)

[Zed.D]

GOALKEEPERS

´Dida is working well, he recovered, he is doing a preparation program to avoid any falls, he could be recovered for the friendly game against Manchester.

´With regards to hierarchies, we shall evaluate at the start of the season.´

Then it's not already decided that Kalac will start as the 1st goalkeeper i.e. what Galliani said about the situation was BS.

[Rossoneri7]

Then it's not already decided that Kalac will start as the 1st goalkeeper i.e. what Galliani said about the situation was BS.

The thing is, Carlo decides the team ... And Dida has been in teh dark for so long now, you never know what could be cookin .. All I know is it isn't Chicken Curry (IMG:style_emoticons/default/biggrin.gif)

[Jack Sparrow]

Yep...too much fat. Bad for Ronnie's fitness....

[Fillipo Simone]

I do rate Dida and Abbiati higher then Kalac...so...I just hope Zeljko won't be our starter...

[acid911]

That figures. (IMG:style_emoticons/default/smile.gif) Kalac was never first team material. For whatever reason he couldn't cut it big enough in any team that he played. Maybe he's one of those guys who take what comes to them (in this case big, fat checks), and are on the standby to be called upon in times of trouble. Second-stringers.

He had his moments though, last season, if only a couple.

[Rossoneri7]

I am not one to attack Kalac, but he did step up for the team. He was there when the team needed him, though he is no Dida, he took his chances and kept the team safe in many instances. The game against Udinese, when Gilardino scored in the dying minutes of the game, Kalac was immense.

That said, he was brought in as the stand in ... So if Dida impresses in Manchester, as he did in the Goal4Africa match, then I believe Kalac wont have any problems giving the true #1 his gloves back.

Abbiati is good, but if Dida benched him once, I believe he can do it again.


So if there is any conclusion, the ideal one would be Dida vs Abbiati for the first team.

[Fillipo Simone]

^^ Exactly. And after watching the goals from the Chelsea disaster...I don't think Kalac would have anything to agrue about.

[Giancarlo]

Abbiati is a fighter... I think. I can forgive him for that thing where he partied with the Juventino *Bleep*s...

Dida... makes me nervous whenever he plays... I like Abbiati's confidence... I always felt more comfortable with him as keeper.

Kalac... I trusted at one point before that game... mistakes or not, he blew it. Maybe a bad day, but he was never a class keeper. Never was. He was at best, a back-up for some Coppa Italia game at best.

[misha]

Abbiati is good, but if Dida benched him once, I believe he can do it again.

Not this time. It's not the same Dida anymore. The Dida that benched him used to be one of the nest around.

[MizNelson]

This is what I love about our GKs. We have one who doesn't talk at all, and one who talks too damn much. (IMG:style_emoticons/default/huh.gif)

Kalac shrugs off Moscow misery
Tuesday 5 August, 2008
Milan goalkeeper Zeljko Kalac has apologised for his error-ridden performance against Chelsea in Sunday’s friendly.

The world champions fell to a humiliating 5-0 defeat on a grim afternoon in Moscow.

And Australian custodian Kalac made a compelling case for Christian Abbiati taking the gloves with a dismal outing during which he failed to make contact with a back-pass to set up the third goal.

“Football is like that and mistakes happen,” Kalac told La Gazzetta dello Sport.

“I went to kick the ball with my left and I prefer my right. I made a mistake but I had never made an error like that before.

“I don’t know whether I will be first choice when the season starts but I hope so. It’s not now that I need to be in form.”

While Kalac is struggling, Abbiati impressed in the Trofeo TIM, where he was the hero against Inter in a penalty shoot-out.

“He is making good saves but I don’t fear competition,” Kalac insisted. “I am just thinking about training well and stopping shots.

“It wouldn’t be fair to judge me on the disaster in Moscow and I am ready to bounce back.”

(Ch. 4)

The bolded part is vomit-inducing. He can so hardly afford to be full of himself at this point.

[acid911]

And he doesn't mention his other friend who doesn't talk at all. How very convenient. (IMG:style_emoticons/default/dry.gif) He thinks it's still between him and Abbiati. Good luck, chuck.

[Giancarlo]

And he doesn't mention his other friend who doesn't talk at all. How very convenient. (IMG:style_emoticons/default/dry.gif) He thinks it's still between him and Abbiati. Good luck, chuck.

LOL. AFter Abbiati's performances and his... "performance"... he still thinks he could beat out Abbiati?

The guy is clearly out of it. I hope that Santos keeper will push him out of the club. We should get that kid now, and not just letting him stay on loan at Santos another season. I think we should just bring him here now. Kalac obviously is not even fit enough to be 2nd choice.

I only view one fit keeper in our present squad. Abbiati.

Dida is a massive question mark. Well we shall find out!

[GrinReaper]

“He is making good saves but I don’t fear competition,” Kalac insisted. “I am just thinking about training well and stopping shots.

I think he's got his priorities mixed up. He should first practice kicking balls that are in motion and only then think about stopping shots.

[MizNelson]

I just saw a promo on FSC for the upcoming Serie A season. It was a highlight reel accompanied by the opening theme from "Amadeus." One of the players seen was Kalac. Ick.

[acid911]

Now even though that third goal mistake was about as bad as they come, but I still will look away from it. (IMG:style_emoticons/default/dry.gif) It Kalac's big mouth that I'm concerned about. He still has the guts.